Yankees Throttle Twins, 8-0 : Martin’s Return to Yankee Stadium Is Easy Victory

If managing was this easy, Billy Martin wouldn’t have been fired four times by George Steinbrenner.

The New York Yankees made it look simple Tuesday, opening the season by routing the World Series champion Minnesota Twins, 8-0, on Rick Rhoden’s three-hitter.

The Twins, just 29-52 away from the Metrodome last year, continued to have road problems. Frank Viola, the World Series MVP, gave up home runs to Mike Pagliarulo and Rickey Henderson and allowed 6 earned runs, more than he gave up in any game last season.

“You couldn’t ask for a better opening day,” Rhoden said. He was 0-3 with a 6.75 earned run average in three previous openers, but shut down the Twins for his first shutout since Aug. 1, 1986, and second in four years.

“It’s the first good opener I’ve had,” Rhoden said. “But I expected to pitch a good game.”

So did Viola, who left 30 tickets for family and friends in nearby Long Island. Instead, he was tagged for 8 hits in 5 innings.

“You don’t like to start the season on this foot. I guess there’s a lot of room for improvement,” he said.

“It’s not really worth worrying about this. I have 161 games to correct myself. I’ve already lost 70-plus games in my career and this won’t be my last,” said the winningest left-hander in the majors during the past four seasons.

Martin, meanwhile, had little to do except enjoy the sunny, 68-degree afternoon. He got a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 55,802 when he was introduced and spent the rest of the day in the dugout, leaning out only once to exchange greetings with home-plate umpire Rich Garcia.

“It was very emotional and it felt great,” Martin said, loose and relaxed after his fifth debut with the Yankees. “Opening day can be overplayed, but it’s important to get off to a good start.”

Rhoden ensured that, breezing through a lineup that bashed opponents in the postseason. He started what he finished, a tendency when Martin manages--his teams have shown a 44% increase in complete games in the first year he takes over.

“We were watching him closely and I might have done something if it was a tight game,” Martin said.

The Twins’ only excitement came when they pulled the seventh triple play in their history, turning the rare play in the eighth inning on Rafael Santana’s grounder. Minnesota became the first team to execute a triple play on opening day since St. Louis did it in 1981, but that did not salvage the day.

The Twins pulled it off when Santana grounded to third with the bases loaded. Gaetti stepped on third, threw to second for the second out, and the relay to first got Santana by a step.